There is a popular belief that taller, more densely packed skyscrapers are the way forward, because they optimise the use of space and house more people per square metre and limit urban sprawl.īut given the global commitments to emissions-reduction targets and mitigating climate change, is this the most sustainable solution from a carbon-reduction perspective? It is the job of city developers and urban planners to figure out how to build or adapt urban environments to accommodate the living and working needs of this rapidly expanding population. As that figure continues to climb and ever more people flock to metropolitan areas in the hope of a better life, the big question is: How do we fit everyone in? By 2050, an additional 2.5 billion will be living there. More than half of the world’s 7.8 billion people live in cities and urban areas.